The Nets have taken the second step: They've learned to win on the road. Now they hope to see if they can do something about that first obstacle: winning at home.
The Nets came home from a hugely successful 3-1 road trip that included victories in places they've rarely won: Sacramento, Utah and Phoenix. Those three triumphs left them at 6-3 on the road. Too bad they're 3-4 at home, but they can get back to even in New Jersey Tuesday against the Wizards, who have a dismal record and already have undergone a coaching change. And the last thing Washington wants to see is one of the hottest players on the planet, the Nets' Devin Harris, who is coming off a career game.
The Wizards are limping in at 2-12, 1-2 under coach Ed Tapscott, who replaced the fired Eddie Jordan, a former Nets assistant. The Wizards, of course, have been without Gilbert Arenas (knee) and Brendan Haywood (wrist) all season. The Wizards still have two 20-point scorers in Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, but defensively they're a mess.
The teams opened the season against each other in Washington, and the Nets started their road journey in good fashion with a 95-85 victory behind 21 points by Vince Carter. Yi Jianlian scored 17 in his Nets debut.
NETS 117, SUNS 109: The Nets had not won in Phoenix since 1993. So they had lost 14 straight before Devin Harris scored his career high of 47 points and Vince Carter added 28 to lead the Nets to their third straight victory, a win that gave them a 3-1 Thanksgiving week trip for the second consecutive year. The Nets outscored the Suns 19-9 after Amare Stoudemire was ejected with his second technical with 3:24 remaining. The Nets improved to 9-7, going two games over .500 for the first time since they were 3-1 last season.
